On March 1, 1901, the Elgin National Watch Company introduced a new line of 18-Size movements designed for approved railroad service. The No. 239 Veritas represented the 21-Jewel option, positioned with the No. 214 Veritas (23 Jewels) and the No... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 21 hours ago

Pictured:"The Wells Dial" - Elgin Watch Co. Grade 149 - 18-Size, Model 2, 21 Jewels, c.1900, Serial No. 8489005. This unique dial exhibits one of the first attempts to indicate time for multiple time zones on a watch dial. Each of the primary time zones in the United States is represented in a dedicated ring: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. While the dial is signed “Patent Applied For,” indicating a possible patent for the design, no patent documentation has been found. Identical dials have been seen on other 18-Size Elgin movements, but the origin of the dial remains a mystery, and even the identity of “Wells” is unknown. ... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 1 day ago

The Elgin National Watch Company implemented an extensive system of classes to represent the quality of finish applied to material for each particular grade. This classification system also facilitated the ordering of replacement parts by watchmakers, providing the ability to match finishing quality. Sifting through an original Elgin material catalog can be confusing with differentiation between grades, models, and classes. The introduction to each catalog attempts to clarify the proper way to find the correct material. “Bear in mind that the illustrations of material serve to give the shape only, the quality of finish being shown by the class, movements taking the same shape and finish being embraced in one line opposite the catalogue number of that particular shape.” 1904 Elgin Material Catalog Once the matching part number is found, the grade must then be correlated with a class designation to determine the proper material quality. Pictured:Elgin Watch Co. Grade 291 - 16-Size, Model 7, 7 Jewels, c.1908, Serial No... Continue Reading

by Nathan Moore, 2 days ago